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VIP Restaurant and Lounge: Classic French Dining in the Cairo Tower

Published On:
11/10/2010

Opened over a year
ago in the recently refurbished Cairo
Tower in Zamalek, the VIP restaurant
adds its unimaginative name to the short list of restaurants offering fine
dining in Cairo.
Granted, fine dining usually means exorbitantly expensive, but the VIP
restaurant delivers adequately on the promise that its sleek menu offers high quality dining.

Two separate (and very private) elevator trips
are needed to arrive at this stratospheric smorgasbord, and once the last
double doors open; patrons are greeted by the maitre d’, whose job of finding
appropriate seating is made simple by the fact that there isn’t a single bad
view in the entire 50-seat restaurant. In fact, we were spoilt for choice since
the dining hall was empty save for our own table.

The decor itself is
understated: pressed white table cloths lie beneath white Villeroy & Boch
plates and silver utensils are awash in the dim glow of candles and table
lamps. It’s all very quiet, which makes the diners speak in hushed tones;
perfect for a romantic dinner or a dignified business rendezvous.

Clad in a steel studded leather binder, the menu is very
straightforward; offering nothing unfamiliar or adventurous. Right on time, the
starter of a crispy warm goat’s cheese salad (140LE) arrived. It was light and full of
flavour, while the main ingredient made a modest showpiece - although a
different dressing other than the ubiquitous balsamic sauce could have elevated
this salad to loftier heights.

The main course of veal medallions (140LE) was served with dauphinoise
potatoes and sautéed vegetables. It was perfectly cooked, seasoned and
ultimately boring. Another main course– the king shrimps Provencal (150LE)–
was also well-prepared albeit slightly under-seasoned and dressed with an
ineffectual tomato Provencal sauce, leaving us feeling underwhelmed. Finally,
the denouement of the meal arrived in the guise of a vanilla crème brûlée, free
of any chef twists, innovations or bursts of vivid flavour.

While it certainly was a very good experience overall, we were
regrettably aware that our socks were still on our feet. It’s still a very good restaurant, and can
provide an excellent setting for a special dinner– it’s just that in the face
of recent options like Blue at the Kempinski or Villa Belle Époque in Maadi, the ante must be upped to stay on equal footing.

There is no denying
the considerable expertise of the chef; but the menu is too safe. It’s all very
prim, proper and polite, like the type of woman that your mother would like you
to marry.

Though it was enjoying a fair amount of popularity, the Lemon Tree & Co. was shut down by its owners last year to make way for new concept, Beetroot. Offering the same exquisite Nile view, an elevated atmosphere and an all-new menu encompassing international dishes and some novel specialities, we paid a visit to the Imperial Boat-located restaurant, keen to find out why this has been earmarked by many as one of the best new restaurants in Cairo. Similar to its former concept, Beetroot maintains a level of subtle class thanks to its outstanding interior – quirky wicker lighting, wooden floors, plants dangling from the walls - and a comfortable, inviting atmosphere. Engrossed by the setting, we were instantly ready to order, opting for Crispy Golden Zucchini (36LE) as an appetiser and Lemon Sage Chicken (104LE) and a Beetroot Burger (94LE) for our mains. Looking like zucchini fries, the crispy golden zucchini had a perfectly-fried, light and airy tempura crust and an overall on-point taste; so much so, that we would venture to say that it was the best dish we tried during our visit. One of the zucchinis was actually mistakenly stuffed with ricotta cheese and tasted similar to blossom zucchini – maybe a combination worth adding to the menu. After the flawless appetiser, we were expecting the same from our mains, only to end up a little underwhelmed. The Lemon Sage Chicken was served with sun-dried tomato orzo, which had a strong tomato flavour, some sweetness from the sun-dried tomato and a pleasant taste. The chicken itself, on the other hand, was well-cooked but was a little unbalanced in flavour, with the lemon-sage sauce being far too bitter, ruining what could have otherwise been an excellent dish. Moving to the Beetroot burger, we were excited for the beetroot bun idea, but it was too dense and the edges were stiff. Topped with tomatoes, lettuce, and canned mushrooms, the burger patty was very juicy and well-cooked; however, the sandwich overall was rather dry, partly due to the scarce amount of smoked cheese sauce that was lost in a bad burger-to-bun-ratio. The burger was served with scrumptious onion rings with a crunchy crust and delightful fried potato cubes, which were topped with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil. The combination created a nutty, earthy flavour, which outshone anything else on the dish, hands-down. We finished our meal with Apple Cinnamon Burst (52LE) – essentially a gourmet apple turnover. Dusted with powdered sugar and filled with caramelised apple that had a little bite to it, this dessert was literally bursting with cinnamon flavour and the creamy vanilla ice cream added a nice contrast. In addition, the dough was cooked to perfection, boasting a beautiful golden colour to it. All in all, we left Beetroot with mixed feelings; on the one hand, we can have little to complain about when it came to the outstanding presentation of the dishes and ambiance. But on the other, some of the flavours didn't quite live up to the atmosphere and concept, not to mention the steep prices. Overall, though there's nothing that can't be fixed with some minor adjustments and we'd have no qualms in going back to Beetroot.

Over the last year or so, new restaurants in Cairo have been introducing more and more exotic cuisines to the dining scene, be it Mongolian or even Peruvian with a Japanese twist, leaving classic favourites like Italian and Asian last week’s news. However, recently opened restaurant, Akli, has gone against the tide and specialises in not only one cuisine, but six, across everything from soups to desserts.

Located off Meccas Street in Dokki, Akli is divided into two zones; the ground floor, which has a exposed glass-wall baking room and shawerma station that wasn’t working at the time of our visit, is made for take-out orders, while the top floor is for dining-in. Besides the unfinished ceiling – which doesn’t seem like it will be finished because the AC duct has already been installed - the interior of the restaurant is on the classic side, with olive green, traditional panelled walls behind ruby buttoned couches. The setup of its tables is also pretty basic, but it actually has a cheerful view of a mini garden. If we were to compare it to another restaurant, Akli has the same spirit of everyone’s favourite, Bon Appetit.

Now let’s talk about the food. Our first flight was to Italy with Spicy Arancini Di Manzo (25LE). Starting from the spot-on creamy texture and the scrumptious golden brown crust, to the melted mozzarella cheese and minced beef, which was bursting with Italian herbs flavours, those four fried Italian rice balls were rather tasty.

Our second stop was at our beloved country with Sojouk (42LE). Lying on a bed of chopped parsley in true 90’s style, the grilled sausage was seasoned well, but it was a bit tough and dry. Overall, though, the appetiser seemed incomplete and needed some kind of a sauce or a dip with it.

Moving to the mains, we opted for the Greek Shrimp Saganaki (120LE). Made of perfectly cooked jumbo shrimp in tomato sauce and topped with feta cheese, the dish was a good one, but it wasn’t Saganaki. There was too little cheese to the flavour and the tomato sauce didn’t have any Greek flavours and tasted like Egyptian vegetable stew. One the other hand, the side of lemon rice added a good zesty flavour to the dish.

We also tried Adana Kebab (89LE) from the Turkish side of the menu. Two pieces of kofta laying on Lebanese bread and served with tahini dip and basmati rice topped with nuts, the dish didn’t capture anything particularly Turkish. Although the kofta was seasoned well and the rice was light and fluffy, the dish was overpriced – it’s almost exactly the same as Shawarmaister’s Kofta Halabi Platter which costs 45LE.

We finished our meal with the French Nougat Glace (27LE) for dessert; a rectangular slice of flawless vanilla ice cream filled with mini bits of pistachio and dried fruits. It was served with sour cherry syrup with a very sticky consistency, but the dessert as a whole was light and well executed.

There’s something about what Akli is trying to do that you can’t help but appreciate – but it’s not an easy job to perfect six different cuisines in one kitchen. The ambiance of the restaurant will take you back in time when you used to dine in a sporting club with the family and the food was, overall, good but there’s nothing remarkable about it.